In this week’s Patent News – BananaIP launches ‘Strategic Inventor’ – a free DIY platform for patent drafting, WIPO publishes Intellectual Property Indicators 2020; Apple faces infringement suit on the ECG feature in Apple watches; Ericsson files lawsuit against Samsung for violating FRAND terms; USPTO and IMPI launch Parallel Patent Grant initiative; USPTO elevates four of its IP attachés to the rank of “Counselor” at the U.S. embassies and missions.
BIP News updates
BananaIP launches ‘Strategic Inventor’ – a free DIY platform for patent drafting
BananaIP has launched an online DIY platform, system and technology that enables inventors draft and file patents on their own. The platform has been aptly named “Strategic Inventor” as it intends to facilitate inventors and applicants to be able to draft patent specifications through a step wise approach, simple and easy to follow guidelines, drafting inputs, and auto generation/creation of drafts. Strategic Inventor may specifically be useful for:
- Independent Inventors and Innovators
- Professors, Researchers and Students
- Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs
- Universities and Research Institutions
- Small and Medium Enterprises
- Companies with limited IP budgets
To read more about the tool, click here. To use the tool, click here.
PATENT INFRINGEMENT NEWS UPDATES
Apple faces infringement suit on the ECG feature in Apple watches
AliveCor, a California based medical device and artificial intelligence company has instituted a lawsuit in the Western District of Texas against Apple for infringing two of its patents, namely – US10595731B2 and US10638941B2. The patents are related to the electrocardiogram (ECG) feature used by Apple in its smartwatch. AliveCor is seeking an award for damages, a declaratory judgment among other forms of relief.
Ericsson files lawsuit against Samsung for violating FRAND terms
According to a recent press release by Ericsson, the Swedish multinational corporation has instituted a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics for “violating contractual commitments to negotiate in good faith and to license patents on Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) terms and conditions.” The company has instituted the lawsuit in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
INTERNATIONAL PATENT NEWS UPDATES
USPTO and IMPI launch Parallel Patent Grant initiative
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) have recently announced the launch of the Parallel Patent Grant (PPG) initiative. The PPG initiative allows IMPI to expedite the grant of a Mexican patent for businesses and individuals who have already been granted a corresponding U.S. Patent. Director of USPTO, Andrei Iancu provided a statement saying “The PPG is a revolutionary development in our global work sharing cooperation and, more importantly, in our economic and trade relationship with Mexico.”
USPTO elevates four of its IP attachés to the rank of “Counselor” at the U.S. embassies and missions
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced that its intellectual property (IP) attachés have been elevated to the diplomatic rank of “Counselor” at the U.S. embassies and missions. The four attachés receiving the rank of Counselor are: John Cabeca (U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, India); Cynthia Henderson (U.S. Embassy, Mexico City, Mexico); Duncan Willson (U.S. Embassy, Beijing, China); and Susan Wilson (U.S. Mission to the European Union, Brussels, Belgium).
The IP Attaché Program aims to improve IP systems and assist U.S. stakeholders and businesses internationally. IP attachés work to improve enforcement and administration of IP policies among other functions.
WIPO publishes Intellectual Property Indicators 2020
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published the WIPO Intellectual Property Indicators 2020 Report (WIPI) on 7th December 2020. As explained in the official press release, the WIPI report gathers and examines IP data from over 150 national and regional offices and throws light on IP trends.
Highlights of the WIPI 2020 Report:
- A total of 3,224,200 patent applications were filed worldwide in 2019. Out of this, China alone has filed 1,400,661 patent applications i.e., over 43% of the total applications.
- The overall growth rate of the number of patent applications in the period between 2018-2019 dipped to -3.0%
- S and Japan have secured the 2nd and 3rd place by having filed 621,453 and 307,969 patent applications, respectively, worldwide
- India has been featured among the top 10 patent offices; it has exhibited a growth of 7.1% in 2019
- The number industrial design applications filed in 2019 amount to 1,360,900; displaying growth of 1.3%
- The total number of industrial design registrations worldwide grew by 7.3%
You may click here to access the complete Report
Source: https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2020/article_0027.html
Authored and compiled by Vibha Amarnath
About BananaIP Counsels Patent Attorneys
The patent news bulletin is brought to you by the patent division of BananaIP Counsels, a top patent and IP firm in India. Led by Senior Partners, Somashekar Ramakrishna, Nitin Nair and Vinita Radhakrishnan, BananaIP Counsels’ Patent Attorneys are among the leading patent practitioners in the country. They work with clients such as Mahindra and Mahindra, Samsung, HCL, Eureka Forbes, to name a few. The patent attorneys at BananaIP Counsels have strong technical and legal expertise in areas such as IT/Software, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Electronics and Telecommunication, Mechanical, Automotive, Green Energy, Traditional Medicine and Bio/Pharma domains. The firm is a first choice for clients looking for support in patent filing, prosecution, management and strategy in India, and across the world.
This weekly patent news bulletin is a part of their pro bono work, and is aimed at spreading patent awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.
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